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The Giulietta is Alfa Romeo’s answer to prestige hatchbacks such as the Audi A3, BMW 1-series and VW Golf

Few brands have as many devoted fans as Alfa Romeo. But that passion tends to be directed towards the pretty coupés and spiders from its back catalogue, leaving the modern cars to sell in tiny numbers.

Encouragingly, though, Alfa Romeo has ambitious expansion plans to change that with the help of eight new models. And instead of leaving the current Giulietta hatchback to wither, it has given it a range of updates, including refreshed looks, a more modern entertainment system and a new 2.0-litre diesel engine.

So, is this enough to turn the Giulietta into a genuine alternative to the big-selling VW Golf and other prestige hatchbacks, or is it like putting a sticking plaster on a gunshot wound?

Space 3/10

Tight in the back and boot is awkward to load

There’s plenty of room in the front of the Alfa Romeo Giulietta. However, six-footers will feel a bit cramped in the back seats, and it’s harder to get to them than it should be because the rear door openings are quite small.

The Giulietta also has limited in-car storage space; for example, there’s nowhere to put your phone. And while the boot is a decent size, there’s quite a drop down from the opening to the boot floor, so you have to be careful not to strain your back when loading and unloading heavy luggage.

Similarly, when the back seats are folded flat, there’s a step up to them from the boot floor, making it difficult to manoeuvre in longer items.

Comfort 4/10

Supportive seats, but the ride is disappointing

The Giulietta has a firm suspension set-up that fits with Alfa Romeo's sporty image. However, the downside of this is that bumps and potholes thump through the car and send shudders through the steering wheel.

The fact that there's no rest for your left foot can also become tiring, particularly on a long motorway drive. And the Giulietta lets in more wind and road noise than newer rivals such as the AudiA3 and VW Golf.

At least the front seats are firm, well bolstered and supportive, so back ache shouldn’t be a problem.

Dashboard layout 7/10

Easy to use, but the materials are a mixed bag

Most functions are controlled through a touchscreen with logical menus and large, easy-to-hit icons, while the separate dials for adjusting the air-conditioning could be used to define simple in the dictionary.

The fact that the instruments are labelled in Italian is also a nice touch, helping the car feel different to rivals, without actually making it much harder to tell what’s what.

Unfortunately, the dashboard isn’t as classy as it looks at first glance, because some of the materials are hard and scratchy, and the metallic highlights feel disappointingly plasticky.

Easy to drive 4/10

Notchy gearshift and some visibility issues

You can adjust the sensitivity of the Giulietta's steering and accelerator via a switch in front of the gear lever, but you'll want to leave it in Normal mode around town, because Dynamic makes the accelerator so sensitive that it's difficult to drive the car smoothly in stop-start traffic.

Even when the car is in Normal you have to put up with a rather notchy gearshift, although an automatic alternative is available.

Forward visibility is good, but over-the-shoulder visibility is restricted, so you need to be extra careful when changing lanes or reversing.

Fun to drive 6/10

Only the steering lets the side down

The Giulietta responds quickly to steering inputs, plus it grips well in corners and remains flat and composed.

Unfortunately, it’s still not as fun as it could be, because the steering feels numb and overly springy, even when the car is in Dynamic mode.

Reliability 4/10

Alfa Romeo doesn't have a good customer satisfaction record

The Alfa Romeo Giulietta comes with a three-year, unlimited-mileage warranty, which is in-line with the cover on the BMW1-series, and superior to the three-year, 60,000-mile packages provided with the Audi A3 and VW Golf. However, Mercedes trumps all its rivals by offering a four-year warranty on the A-class.

Of greater concern is Alfa Romeo’s reliability record, because it has consistently finished near the bottom of the JD Power customer satisfaction survey.

Fuel economy 7/10

Easy on fuel, despite some rivals being even more frugal

The most frugal version of the Giulietta is the 1.6-litre diesel, which returns an official average of 74.3mpg. That’s the same as equivalent versions of the Audi A3 and Mercedes A-class, although the BMW 116d Efficient Dynamics Plus manages 83.1mpg and the VW Golf Bluemotion almost 90mpg.

It’s a similar story with the other engines in the Giulietta range; their economy is competitive, but not class leading.

Affordability 8/10

Good for both private buyers and company car drivers

Like-for-like, the Alfa Romeo Giulietta undercuts its premium-badged German rivals on price, and while it’s unlikely to hold its value as well, it still makes sound financial sense as a private buy.

Those comparatively low prices also combine with competitive CO2 emissions to make the diesels tempting company car choices. And in our experience Alfa Romeo’s diesel engines get quite close to their official economy figures in real-world conditions.

Safety 7/10

Missing the latest driver aids, but performed well in crash tests

Six airbags are fitted as standard, including window airbags that run the length of the car to protect those in the front and the rear. Meanwhile, the list of driver aids includes tyre pressure monitoring and a stability control system to counteract skids.

What the Giulietta doesn’t have is the latest electronic safety features, such as blind spot monitoring and automatic city braking. But it still earned the maximum five-star rating when it was crash tested by the independent assessors at Euro NCAP, and its adult, child and pedestrian safety scores were all competitive.

Standard spec 7/10

No version of the Giulietta is poorly equipped

The entry-level Progression Giulietta comes with air-conditioning, a Bluetooth hands-free phone connection, DAB digital radio, and sockets to let you connect an iPod to the stereo. However, it’s only available with the weedy 118bhp 1.4-litre petrol engine or the 1.6-litre diesel.

For a wider choice of engines you need to upgrade to the Distinctive or Exclusive specifications; both bring parking sensors and cruise control, while the pricier Exclusive also has leather upholstery, electric front-seat lumbar adjustment and automatic headlights and windscreen wipers.

There’s also a Business Edition model, which is similar to the Distinctive, but with satnav and metallic paint as standard so that company car drivers don’t have to add them and push up their car’s P11D value. And a Sprint model, which is based on the Progression, but offers sportier looks and more powerful engines, including the excellent 1.4 Multiair 150.

Our favourite version

The verdict 5/10

The stylish looks of the Alfa Romeo Giulietta are sure to seduce, and it makes plenty of financial sense as both a private buy and a company car. However, numerous rivals are more comfortable, better to drive and classier inside.